BREAD FOR THE BODY

theologeat
Mar 16, 2025
5 min read

Updated: Apr 6, 2025

A delicious and simple rustic bread. Whether enjoyed with wine and fellowship for a communion experience or served alongside a family meal, this recipe is a keeper.

Eat

Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon active dry yeast

1 ½ cups lukewarm water

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast. Add water and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

2. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap and let rest for 12-18 hours.

3. When ready to bake, position a Dutch Oven on your highest possible oven rack and allow to heat at 450F for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, pour the dough onto a large piece of floured parchment paper and (with heavily floured hands) shape dough into a loose ball. Do not knead. Cover your dough ball in greased plastic wrap and allow it to rest while the pot is heating.

5. After 30 minutes, carefully remove pot from oven. Discard plastic wrap, place your dough ball into the hot pot, using the parchment as a liner. Cover with lid and return to the oven for 30 minutes; then remove the lid and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

6. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack until it has reached room temperature.

Theology

Inspired Word

1 Corinthians 11:23-24

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Bite Sized Theology

Sacraments are certain religious rituals which act as signs of God’s grace to Christians. Some Christian denominations view the sacraments as purely symbolic representations of a deeper spiritual reality and others (“sacramentalists”) view the sacraments as means by which grace can be mysteriously conveyed.

The Main Meal

Very likely if you have spent time in the Christian community, you have had some experience with the bread and the cup. You may have called it Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. Your experience may have involved walking to the altar or sitting in a pew. Your first taste of communion may have been in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. Your bread may have been a loaf, a cube, or a cracker and your cup may have been a thimble of grape juice instead of a goblet of wine. Beyond such widely varying external differences, your understanding of this mini meal is impacted by your church background.

The disciple Paul’s letter to the believers in Corinth shows that the sacrament of communion has been observed in Christian tradition since the earliest church. As Paul explains to the Corinthians, Christians partake in the bread and the cup together as a significant act – one which Jesus himself commanded his followers to do. His reason is clear – “do this in remembrance of me.” What is not clear, for all Christians, is how to understand the bread and cup as body and blood.

Generally, those Christians belonging to the Roman Catholic church hold that the ritualistic preparation of the elements cause the bread and wine to transform into the body and blood of Christ. This concept is called transubstantiation and is closely connected to the sacramentalism of the Roman Catholic church. Since Christ’s real presence is found in the Eucharist, it can convey grace to believers who bring Him into their bodies and demonstrate their desire to be more Christ-like. By contrast, many Protestant Christians deny the real presence of Christ in the bread and cup. Instead, these churches emphasize the symbolic nature of the elements which represent Christ’s physical sacrifice. Though participation in Communion can help a believer to strengthen their faith by keeping the cross fresh in their mind, it is not through any mysterious power found in the bread or cup themselves. Sadly, these differences are not just a matter of opinion but have been a long-standing point of division between God’s beloved children. How did this happen?

The sharp contrast can be traced to the Reformation period of the 16th century. Here many of the original Protestant critiques of medieval Catholicism grew from opportunities to improve the Church as a whole into signs that one group or the other had lost touch with God altogether. Early reformers such as Martin Luther maintained that the Lord’s Supper was indeed sacramental but seeing a need to reinvigorate the Church’s connection to scripture his teachings led progressive generations to diminish the place of Communion in Christian life as they sought to elevate the Word. Furthering this imbalance was the Protestant emphasis on education as many medieval churchgoers were ignorant of basic gospel principles. The sad result of this sin-focused teaching often turned the Eucharist experience into a somber memorial rather than a joyful celebration of the mystery of salvation. In essence, the right-minded efforts to correct theological imbalances created new imbalances which were only perpetuated during the Enlightenment and Modern ages.

Such imbalanced views of Holy Communion were not always the case though and there is hope that these two arms of the Church can find renewed meaning and unity in Eucharistic celebration! Writings from 4th century Christian leaders show that early Christians held an appreciation for the presence of Christ in both the bread and wine on the altar AND in their own community. Both the bread and the believers are the body of Christ. Enhancing this connection was a greater grasp of the nature of symbols than what we have today. A symbol is meant to do more than stand in place of reality, it is meant to bring that reality forward to us. In the case of Christ, bodily symbols are more than just pictures or words... they are invitations to enter into presence and relationship with him in a very real way. By the Middle Ages, it is clear that the relationship between the community and the elements has shifted so that they no longer see the presence of Christ within the body of believers and so have disproportionately emphasized the body in the bread. Add to this a polarization of the meaning of symbol, such that the term symbol loses any connection to the reality which it represents, and neither the symbolic nor the realist camp can speak to one another in any real way.

There is, however, hope. Reclaiming the truth that both bread and Church are the body of Christ will restore appreciation for both. As will fostering a symbolic consciousness in all believers. When we look to the experience of Communion, it ought not be reduced to a dry memorial nor given a power beyond what Christ decreed. Instead, it should do what spiritual symbols do best - break into our everyday lives and let us see God’s reality in it. So, take the bread, which is his body, broken for you. Eat, remember, and be present with the Lord.

References

Erickson, Millard J. The Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology. Wheaton, Ill: Crowssway Books, 2001.

McMichael, Ralph N. Eucharist A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Continuum/T & T Clark, 2010. <http://site.ebrary.com/id/10427379>.

Tonin, James. “Eucharist.” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2020. https://search-ebscohost-com.twu.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=87322029&site=eds-live&scope=site.

William R. Crockett. Eucharist: Symbol of Transformation. Pueblo Books, 2017. <https://resolver.ebscohost.com/Redirect/PRL?EPPackageLocationID=1127567.13280280.64725788&epcustomerid=cts1>.